Wasootch Ridge Hike

Where:

• Wasootch Ridge

 

When:

• May 8, 2020

 

Who:

• Ed, Jace, Joey, Craig

 

 

Trailhead:

• the trailhead is 17 km south of Highway 1 on Highway 40
• the parking lot is on the left (east) side of the road about a half km off the highway
• the trailhead starts out of the north side of the parking lot

 

 

 

Degree of difficulty:

• 1450 meters of elevation gain and 15 km distance if you get all the way to the final ridge
• the trail is very steep and rugged at the start for about 10 minutes, so it’s best to take your time up this section
• after that, it involves numerous short to medium climbs over about ten different knolls/ridges
• as you approach the end of the trail near the summit, there are some challenging rock faces to scramble over that I would only recommend for very experienced hikers who are not afraid of heights
• on this particular day, we had some snow accumulation, but we were able to manage our way through it or around it with only a few incidents of falling into the snow ‘landmines’
• on the way down we took a wrong turn a km from the bottom and ended up having to work our way along a cliff and down a steep ravine with some loose rocks
• the hike took us 3 hours, as we didn’t ascend the final few ridges due to the snow cover
• for less confident hikers, this is a better trail when it is dry

 

 

Interesting notes:

• one of my favorite trails as you very quickly climb to 360-degree views of all the fantastic mountains in the area
• one side of the ridge (north) is bordered by Porcupine Creek and the other side (south) by Wasootch Creek
• there are beautiful views of Mount McDougall (we presume named after Craig) to the south
• some of the trees on the ridge are more artistic than any other hike I have been on from the exposed wind on the ridge (it’s like being in a tree art gallery)
• the low lying clouds provided a majestic backdrop in the valley and on the surrounding peaks